Tomato Soup and Grilled Cheese

Cheesy. Comforting. Heartwarming. This is a meal that is so basic and so simple, it is hard to believe that it is one of the most popular food combinations. Whether you serve your tomato soup plain or with a drizzle of cream over the top of your bowl or dunk the crispy bread encasing the cheesy goodness inside into your soup, this combo is a winner!

Ingredients

Instructions

Let’s start with the soup. Anyone can open a can of tomato soup and heat it up, but if you have ever made homemade tomato soup, you will never open another can again.

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
2. Place the tomatoes on a baking sheet and drizzle with 2 tablespoons of olive oil.
3. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and toss to coat.
4. Roast in the oven for 30 minutes.
5. In a skillet, cook the onion and garlic until translucent about 5 minutes.
6. Add the tomatoes along with the juices from the baking pan.
7. Add the bay leaf and dried spices to the pan with the onion and garlic.
8. Stir occasionally for about 10 minutes..
9. Turn off the heat and remove the bay leaf.
10. Stir in the milk or cream.
11. Puree the soup with an immersion blender or transfer to a blender to puree to a smooth consistency.
12. Pour the soup back into the pot and heat through.

For the grilled cheese sandwich:

1. Spread softened butter on one side of two slices of bread.
2. In a skillet, melt 1 tablespoon of butter in the pan until sizzling.
3. Place one piece of bread butter side down in the skillet.
4. Place cheese slices on top of the bread.
5. Place the other slice of bread on top of the cheese, butter side up.
6. Fry each side until golden brown and crispy.